The forthcoming Cities of Tomorrow add-on for SimCity will add neon roads, towering, futuristic skyscrapers and a sinister corporation. But what it won’t add are the two things that SimCity players are wanting more than anything else: larger maps, and an offline mode.

According to the concluding part of this IGN video preview, offline play and bigger map sizes have been categorically ruled out for this expansion by Maxis. This seems like a major missed opportunity. Rolling out improved map sizes (for everyone, not just those who buy the DLC,) would have generated some much-needed goodwill for the game along with some positive coverage. Offline mode seems like a simple crowd-pleaser too.

Instead, Cities of Tomorrow makes it seem as if SimCity will simply continue down the same road it has been on since launch; a troubled game hoping to sell piecemeal portions of extra buildings and features, rather than fixing some of the main issues players have with the game. The longer the title goes without maps being expanded, the more likely it appears that Maxis is either unwilling or unable to make that happen.